Manchester United defender Patrice Evra should be praised for his stance in reporting racism, says former West Ham striker Leroy Rosenior.

The BBC pundit, who also turned out for QPR, Fulham and Gloucester City, and now works as an ambassador for Show Racism The Red Card, told UnionNews the Frenchman was right to tackle the issue.

Evra this weekend comes face-to-face with Liverpool’s Luis Suarez for the first time since the Uruguayan racially abused him on the pitch in the autumn, leading to an eight-match ban.

Leroy Rosenior said racism is as rife today as it was during his playing days in the 1980s and early 90.

He said: “It’s always been there – it’s just not as avert nowadays. You don’t get people throwing bananas at you, you don’t get thousands of people doing Nazi salutes at you, but it’s still there, under the skin.

“If you go to a ground now and people are racist, they can be charged for it. Patrice Evra has been brave enough to report it and now it’s in the newspapers. It’s always been there and is something to be tackled.

“Just because people haven’t seen it in football grounds doesn’t mean it isn;t in wider society. There are still people who think you shouldn’t be treated equally if you have a different colour skin, or if you have a disability or if you don’t speak a certain way.”

Leroy Rosenior was speaking to UnionNews during a teacher-training day for Show Racism The Red Card. To read more about the day and about what he is doing to help turn back the ride of racism, click here